Monster and Beats go their separate ways

Things you might also like

Monster and Beats have brought their long running headphone partnership to an end, marking a big change in the direction that Dre's company could be taking.

The split is the end of what has been a 5 year partnership with Monster, a well known cable and high end Hi-Fi manufacturer. The expertise gained will remain, but the decision not to renew the contract with Monster will likely change the way that Beats are manufactured.

Those who enjoy the look of the Beats headphones will probably find they follow a similar style, particularly given that design has been a major reason for their popularity.

HTC owns the largest stake in Beats at $300 million, but is not the only company involved in the technology. HP uses Beats Audio in its laptops to bring better quality sound to its portables.

The real future of Beats is on the mobile. Integration with handsets like the HTC Sensation XE and XL will likely continue as the company further focusses on smartphones. Plans to expand to fitness and TV are also in the works.

Do you think the Beats/Monster split is going to be a problem? Let us know in the comments below ...